Matthew 4-7: The Kingdom - Season 4 - Episode 3

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the YA podcast. Lean in as we dive into the practicals of life with Jesus as spirit filled young adults. Well, welcome back to the Young Adults podcast. We are joined here for episode three with the wonderful Alyssa. Why don't you say hello? [00:00:35] Speaker B: Hello. Hello, everyone. [00:00:36] Speaker A: Now, Alyssa, you might have seen her in our church. She is a wonderful radiance of joy and along with her husband Cain, leads in evangelism and in the Disciple the nation spaces. Do you want to tell us a little bit more aside from the things that you do, tell us who you are, a little bit about yourself. [00:00:52] Speaker B: Sure, yeah. I'm like, oh, I'm a daughter, I'm a sister, I'm a wife. I am. Yeah. A child of God. I'm an auntie. I'm originally from Queensland. Yeah. I'm just on a living. On a mission in Victoria and just loving it. Yeah. Following the Lord. [00:01:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:01:12] Speaker A: I am one of many people that is very blessed by you guys coming to Melbourne. It's such, such a gift, Such a gift to our church and such a gift to our hearts above all. So, so super excited to get into the Word with you today because Alyssa brings so much wisdom to the Word and such a personal understanding and things that she has personally journeyed through. So I know you guys will love this and you'll love. Yeah. Just hearing from her. So, as you know, we are going through the book of Matthew and the Kingdom of God and the King Jesus. So open with us to chapter four and we're going to be reading through chapter four through to the end of chapter seven today. Feel free to pause this podcast and actually read through that yourself. Yeah. And yeah, follow along with us as we dive right into it. Now, obviously for most of us, we're a little bit familiar with the salmon on the mount. We've had a lot of salmon sermons about the Sermon on the Mount or like, yeah, so we pretty familiar with that, but we actually want to start from chapter four. So, Alyssa, would you just introduce us a little bit to chapter four? And like, where. Why are we starting here? Where does that kick us off? [00:02:25] Speaker B: Yeah. So, yeah, we're kind of loosely talking around the Gospel of the Kingdom or the Kingdom of God today. And what we see we pick up in chapter four. And it actually goes from, Jesus has just been baptized. He's got the affirmation of the Father saying, this is my son in whom I'm well pleased. The Holy Spirit sends like a dove and there's this beautiful moment of like, almost like commissioning. And then straight away he's led into the wilderness. And I just was like, wow, what a. What a wild ride to go from, like, the waters, refreshing of baptism, affirmation to silence, solitude, desert, wilderness, testing. And so he goes in and it's like he's tested. Obviously, we won't go fully in depth. We won't have time, but he's tested. He, you know, fast and prays for 40 days. And then the enemy or the accuser comes to him and, you know, obviously is like, as God said, this is my son, in whom I'm well pleased. The enemy comes, as he does, to distort that and says, if you are the Son of God and bringing that question, I'm actually attacking, like, yeah, that divinity, his identity. And I love how Jesus gives us the example of when we're led into the wilderness. Yes. Sometimes by God, we think, why am I in the wilderness? Like, surely God has, like, no, this is an attack. And it's like, actually, sometimes it's forming you like. And he doesn't bring death and destruction, but he can mold us through this and work it for good. But he says it is written every single time. So, yeah, I love that. It's like his weapon of choice, the weapon of warfare in his hand was the word, the words of his Father. And I love every single time he says it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that precedes the mouth of God. And then again further down, it is written. And then away with you, Satan. But I just. I think there's so much even in that. I know already we're going straight there, but it's like, there is so much in that. When we are in the wilderness, how do we walk this out? How do we actually, like, silence the accuser? How do we actually shut down and bring every lofty thought, everything that erects itself against the knowledge of God, and bring it into submission to the truth. What is the truth, you know, if we don't know the word of God? So it begins with this triumph over the enemy, over the accuser. And then I also love, like, it's so cool that angels are angels. Like, minister to him. [00:04:42] Speaker A: I love that. [00:04:43] Speaker B: I was like, thank you, Jesus. Wow. Like, we have ministering beings who are, like, so ready. Like, when we are in battle, we're never alone. Like, we are so covered. [00:04:51] Speaker A: So good. Yeah, I love this because, like, a lot of us will enter into ministry, whether it's starting a life group, whether it's vocational ministry, or, you know, just stepping out, maybe sharing your Faith for the first time. You step out and you're like, lord's commissioned me. And you're super excited. You go out and then some. Or maybe it's a prophetic word where do the Lord releases you and then you hear the wilderness, and you're like, oh, maybe it's not the Lord. And then the devil can kind of bring in this deception of, like, misusing scripture or skewing truth that you've heard and then trying to sort of turn you off course. But what you've said just there, immediate application, we see from Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, commissioned by the Father, his identity was sure. The devil tries to take that away from him. And he goes, no, I know the word that I'm standing on. I know the prophetic words that have been written about me. Yes, I know God's word. And I'm. I'm actually waging warfare with the truth. [00:05:41] Speaker B: Come on. [00:05:42] Speaker A: It's so cool that we literally presented that. [00:05:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:45] Speaker A: At the beginning. It sort of seems confronting when you first look at it. You're like, oh, why? Why was Jesus tempted by Satan? Like, what? But it's. It's cool because it's so real, even for us today. [00:05:56] Speaker B: Totally. Yeah. No, I. I just love this. Even, like, I'm just reminded of how it says in Hebrews 4:15. It's like, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all points tested, as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. And I love that. It's like we have a king that's on the throne. We have a God who empathizes, who. Who is able to give us everything we need. He has endured so much more than us, and he sympathizes. He gives us everything we need in order to walk a righteous life. But it's not like he's just like, do this, do that. It's like, no, no, no, I have walked. I have been tempted in every way. And he gives us a way out. He gives us a way through. And not even just a way through. A way to trample on the accuser and see it cast down, and then we walk. It's also like, I'm reminded of, like, the seed that scattered straight away. The seed is sown, and then the enemy tries to test it and see if the seed will take root. Has it. Has it actually landed in good soil? Is he actually going to Come forth in authority, knowing who he is, or can I steal that seed? Can I steal that away? Which is what happens. Hey, we come on a Sunday and then we walk it out on Monday and we think, oh, my gosh. Like, and it's tested. And oftentimes people post conference, post events, post significant encounters with God, we need to be aware that the enemy has a very specific task, often straight after things like that, to try to test the seed and steal the seed. And we just declare of you that he will not prevail and it will not be successful. But we need to be aware and. [00:07:27] Speaker A: I think just to bring a piece of truth. If it is the word of God, it can be tested. [00:07:34] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:35] Speaker A: And so we need to not be afraid of testing of. If God spoke to you about something. I'm just speaking to you young adults right now. If God gave you a word, a dream, a prophetic word, whatever it is, be willing for that to be tested. If you're. If you're afraid for it to be tested, then maybe it is not a word of the Lord and it's a word of the flesh. And if you're willing for something to be tested and to come under submission and you can be tested by. Is it in Scripture? It can be tested by good leadership that you can bring that to. And. And do they have a yes in their spirit? And if it can be tested, then there's. There's truth in that. So I just wanted to sort of bring that as well. And it's cool because we'll jump into that later. But even in the Lord's Prayer, when Jesus presents that to us, He. He prays these things over us that we wouldn't be tempted. He asked us to pray those things. [00:08:21] Speaker B: Yes. [00:08:22] Speaker A: So that we can walk that out. [00:08:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:25] Speaker A: Awesome. [00:08:26] Speaker B: So good. [00:08:26] Speaker A: What's the next thing we see here? [00:08:28] Speaker B: So, yeah, Jesus passed the test. I guess that's probably not the right language, but. And he begins his ministry after this. He's ministered to. And then he begins his ministry and he goes out and I love that it talks about. He's actually fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. And it talks about the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawn. And then it says, from that time Jesus began to preach and say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And is at hand actually means like it's accessible. It's here now. It's available. [00:09:04] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:04] Speaker B: It's with you. It's present. It's not this far off. And I love what, like, the scholars often talk about. The Jewish people were hoping, like, hey, we're going to have this king come and he's going to demolish Rome and he's going to rule and he's going to reign. And really they're thinking he's going to fight on this earthly plane with carnal things and, like. Right. Fight power with power and. And killing for killing. And it's like that whole what he addresses later in, like, you've heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And instead, Jesus starts to unpack. Like, actually, the kingdom of heaven is. Is at hand, but you're not going to perceive it if you think that it's going to look like the ways of this world. And that's where we begin with the Sermon on the Mount of this upside down kingdom. And it's like it's fully inverted, like a fully inverted kingdom. It's like, hey, like, the poor are actually, like, the most powerful or like the weak. And, you know, it goes into the Beatitudes. But I just. Yeah, well, he says. [00:09:55] Speaker A: He says repent. Right. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is hand. So prepare your heart, because if you want to actually partner with this kingdom that is here right now, you're going to need to be ready for it. And I'm pretty sure the word repent means, like, to turn, right? [00:10:09] Speaker B: Yes. [00:10:10] Speaker A: So if you're facing a particular way because you're expecting something to come from a particular way, you're not going to see if it comes from behind you. Like, we don't have eyes on the back of our head. So that repent means literally turn. Turn your body, turn your posture of your heart, turn your expectations so that you can see the kingdom when it comes and you can actually reach out and touch it and be. [00:10:30] Speaker B: Love that. Yeah. No, that's so great, Jess. I love that because it's literally. Yeah. To turn and to change the way you think, to change your mind. And so that to me is like. Like you said, to turn away from something a way you've always known is almost like a break agreement with a previous way of thinking, perceiving, doing what you've inherited, the way you've seen it, your family of origin, whatever, all the things we've collected. And it's like, actually become like a child. [00:10:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:53] Speaker B: Turn and, like, receive a new way of thinking. Like, let him be enthroned. Bring every. Every previous way of thinking into submission to this king. And so, yeah, I love that. That's, like, just the catchphrase for the whole of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Wow. [00:11:08] Speaker A: And for us today, I think we can often categorize repentance as something that a new believer does for the first time to receive Jesus. Or like, when you're, like, walking away from your old life. And yes, that is the key point of repentance. But I think that even if you've been a Christian your whole life, we still need to keep coming back to repentance and keep challenging the ideas that we have about God in the sense of, like, have I just partnered with tradition or partnered with, you know, the way that everyone else is doing things? And then put a lens on Jesus that he's actually not clearly seeing him rightly. [00:11:43] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:44] Speaker A: It's good for us even into. Maybe you're listening to this right now and you've had an idea of what this meant, of what the kingdom looked like, and you're going to go into the salmon of the mountain, be like, oh, that's not what I thought. And so that requires a turning of heart and a softness and a humility of heart to actually receive it. [00:12:01] Speaker B: Totally. So good. Yeah. [00:12:06] Speaker A: Then we go. Jesus is calling the disciples, which I think is really cool. Like, so he calls two separate sets of fishermen brothers. And I just love how they. They leave everything and they follow after him. And even it says of the sons of Zebedee that they left their father, Father as well. As we go further along in Matthew, Jesus talks about discipleship, about leaving your father and mother. And he talks about. There's a couple of guys that are like, oh, let me. Can I go bury my father first? And Jesus is like, no, like, you gotta. If you want to come, come now. And it's. The ones that did actually do that journey with him were willing to leave everything in that moment and to follow him. And then we see Jesus healing all kinds of sicknesses and diseases and demonstrating the kingdom. [00:12:49] Speaker B: Yes. [00:12:50] Speaker A: And I like to think of this as really good context to set up when he starts the teaching discourse in. In chapter five, because he's. Then he's presented the kingdom through healing of sickness, healing of disease. And people are starting to go, oh, who is this Jesus? And he's like, okay, now it's time to bring some. Some truth, some teaching to his. Fits them all down. And he's standing for a mountain and he brings this beautiful salmon on the mount. Anything else you want to say before we dive the salmon? [00:13:20] Speaker B: I think even just, no, I just Wanted to like, quickly touch on the fact that it's like when it says that Jesus began to preach to the word. Preach actually meant to bring like a declaration or like a, like a specific, like ordained word from the king kind of thing. So it's actually like a, like this is like, it would have been so offensive, countercultural. They'd be like, who is this? Who is this man? And I love that when he's talking about, when he's talking about the kingdom, he's talking about a dominion. Like, he's not just talking like when there's, when there's a new king on the throne, he takes ground, territory, dominion, the culture of the kingdom. And I love that. Yeah. Like, he presents it and he's like, there is a new king on the throne and it's a heavenly kingdom and it's a realm outside of what you can see. And it's like there's actually a dominion being taken forth. And so I totally agree and love what you said about like, this is proclamation, this is preaching. Then there's a demonstration and it drew people unto him and then, then they were ready to go on the journey of understanding and unpacking, which is so beautiful. And being invited into revelation. He is revelation. Like, yes, being invited into him and into this knowledge. But yeah, that's all I would kind of. [00:14:28] Speaker A: That's awesome. So from there we go straight into what we call the Beatitudes. And Jesus is essentially saying that these certain postures that, that you have actually prepare you for the kingdom. And both in that passage, verses 3 through to 12ish, and then also the next passage, I mean, if your Bible breaks the intersections, Jesus is really speaking into identity. So he's about to bring some things that are going to challenge. And he's already challenging, really just saying like, bless you. If you pour in spirit, it's like what, you know, that's already a challenge from the, from the get go. But he speaks into identity before he brings in some more challenging thoughts. [00:15:13] Speaker B: So good. Yeah, yeah, no, I, I, I love this is like, it's just like, I love when people talk about like scholars talk about the upside down kingdom, because I feel like that is like all the rest of this teaching, but also like the Beatitudes to a T. Like, yeah, it's the whole like, you know, it's like become humble or like a child. Oh, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. And like the poor and the humble are the ones that are actually exalted. And like, if you want to attain life or Find life. You need to die and let go of something. It's like just this, like it's. It's almost like it's offensive because it's like he's come to these people who are in great need. The multitude that followed him were people who were in great need, probably people who were powerless and in poverty. And he's like, this is where the kingdom begins. And he begins with the lowest of stature and says like most of these people probably would have had nothing except for they would have probably been poor in spirit, ready to be totally dependent. And he's like, this is where the infancy of the kingdom can be. Sound like can be found and seen through. [00:16:08] Speaker A: So good. [00:16:09] Speaker B: But oh, it's so rich. I'm like, do you want to go through. It's wild. We probably won't have time to go through it all, but yeah, I mean. [00:16:16] Speaker A: I don't know if we'll have time to go through all of that. I think let's just quickly go over before we dig more into individual passages. Like, I guess this whole salmon, like you'll know by the title of this episode already. But what is like, what is this whole salmon about? [00:16:32] Speaker B: Yeah, well, the kingdom. Well, yeah, yeah. The kingdom of God. [00:16:36] Speaker A: Here's the kingdom. Yeah. I mean the whole book of Matthew is about the kingdom. And I know that we've prayed preface that in earlier episodes, but this is like, okay, this is what the kingdom is like. This is. And he does that later in other teachings. But in this first section of teaching, Jesus is saying, this is what the kingdom is like. Now, some of the themes that Alyssa and I were even talking about this earlier, some of the themes that we see in that is firstly that it's countercultural totally. It's like the complete opposite of what people expect both in those days at that time and today. Like we can look at that and go, yeah, today that's not normal. But it was also back then not normal even for the religious people. Jesus is coming in and being like, this is. It's the opposite to what you think. [00:17:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:24] Speaker A: What are some other things that we see. [00:17:26] Speaker B: Yeah, like across the Sermon on the Mount and the Establishment. Yeah, I think Jesus is like, he's addressing like the fact that there's so much like we've talked about, there's so much behavior modification, ritual pleasing, like religious practices. There's so many limitations as well for people who aren't in to actually reach salvation, to actually attain, you know, and there's so many barriers and so much law abiding and he just goes straight to the heart issue with everything. Goes straight to the root of, like, people's character. But what's in your heart. Yes, just straight away, I think that's a key theme. Over and over and over. Obviously, he talks about being salt and he talks about who we are, if we are children of the kingdom or we are carriers of the kingdom. And then he talks about. Yeah, the heart. And really, I think it's like, also the kingdom of God is like, almost personified. Like, it's just like, in love. [00:18:19] Speaker A: Yes. [00:18:20] Speaker B: Like, that is like, just like the key theme, I would say as well, is just like talking about loving your enemies and like, marriage and talking about, like, going the second mile and just like, laying up. Like, it all is, like coming back to that heart posture of. Of love. [00:18:37] Speaker A: Yeah, it all starts in the heart. And a lot of chapter six is that as well. I think some of the other things that I see is what is authority and. And power actually look like, as in. Yeah, as you mentioned, it's not the way that they expected it. So Jesus is coming to bring that authority. But it's like that comes through love. That comes through heart posture, that comes through laying up treasures on heaven, not. Not on earth. It comes through the way that we build our lives and. And who we are in Christ. And then I think something that really stands out to me, and I'll just highlight this and then we can zoom back in. But in the whole book of Matthew, we see a lot of themes, and that's kind of how things are written in the. In those times, in the Jewish tradition, they expected particular themes. And so a really obvious one is to look what is central, what is in the very middle of this passage. And this, in this particular account is the Lord's prayer. And this is the prayer that Jesus presents to us for us to pray God's will. And this is actually we. Where we see what the theme is, because he says in the middle of this prayer, your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And so Jesus is inviting us to pray for the kingdom to come. He's saying, yeah, you. I'm. I'm actually using you as an executor of. It's probably not the right word, an executive of the. Of the kingdom come. Like, you're the one who's bringing the kingdom. [00:20:18] Speaker B: Yes, but through. [00:20:18] Speaker A: Through the power of God. So I want you to go, hallowed be your name. So, like, say that God is holy, bring ourselves into submission to the holiness of God. And then to declare his kingdom come. To partner with that, to be willing to leave behind, to forgive and be forgiven, to not be led into temptation, and to bring the authority back to Jesus. [00:20:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:40] Speaker A: And he. Yeah, he invites us into this prayer centrally, too. Like, that's. That's like the most important practical thing. Like, all this, like, practical stuff. It's also going to come from that process prayer and that heart posture of praying. [00:20:51] Speaker B: Totally. Yeah. I love that. And it all comes from union, Father. And he's also. I feel, in this. I love how it talks about our Father who is in heaven and heavens is like heavens or realms or air. It's like our Father who is closer to us than the air that we breathe. Like, holy is your name. [00:21:07] Speaker A: Yes. [00:21:07] Speaker B: Your kingdom come. You're straight away. It's like, this isn't my gift, my thing, my idea, my translation of Jesus. Like, your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. There's authority when it's in accordance with his will, in alignment with his will. Come on. Yeah. I love that. That's central. I feel like it just keeps you so locked in with, like, everything flows from union, from his authority that we've been delegated and given in order to co labor with him. [00:21:33] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Sorry. If we don't, then we're stepping back into what you said earlier, which is the behavior modification if. Okay. How do I love my enemies? How do I not think adulterous thoughts? How do I. Da, da, da. And it's just like, I'm gonna try and fix my problems all the time, which obviously, that requires our partnership. But it's got to come back from the place of, like. No, his kingdom doesn't look like this. The truth is this. I want to declare the truth. I'm going to partner with the truth. [00:21:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:59] Speaker A: Of who's in charge. And if I get my eyes back on the holiness of the Lord. [00:22:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:03] Speaker A: And to his rule and reign, then these things can be an overflow of my life. [00:22:08] Speaker B: Totally, totally. That's so great. That's it. Under his governance, under him as the king, it's like he brings kingdom order. And I love that. It's like, it's not by might, it's not my power. It's only by your spirit. Abide in me as I abide in you, the true vine. And it's like, apart from me, you can do nothing. If we actually believe that, then it's like, we can't clean ourselves up. Like, we can't stay away from sin. We can't you know, push back temptation. Like we actually are so dependent on the king under his dominion. There's freedom where the spirit is. There's freedom, there's liberty that comes by being in submission under the king, in alignment with his will and in living in accordance and by his spirit. So it's like, yeah, apart from him, we can do nothing. Like, this is just everything. Yeah, that's so rich. [00:22:51] Speaker A: Yeah, that's cool. So surrounding even that, like, if we can kind of go in a spider web fashion surrounding that. Like later on in chapter six, it talks about even worrying about things and the things that can become distractions that are necessary to life, like food and clothes and etc. But these things can come distractions. And he says in chapter 6, verse 33, absolute life passage, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Like, takes the pressure off, doesn't it? [00:23:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:30] Speaker A: Oh, we don't have to worry about like, how everything's gonna work out. Like, yeah, I can just, you know, like him first. [00:23:36] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's like totally normal. I mean, just even in my life to have to like stop and assess like, where I'm or if I feel the Holy Spirit, help me, like, prompt me to stop and assess. Like, what am I seeking first? If you look at my values, my priorities, my bank balance, etc, what am I seeking first? What am I building? Am I building my own kingdom, taking God with me and just seeking his approval? Like, yep, just sign me off. Cool, great, I'm off here. And it's like, am I actually seeking first the kingdom? Am I actually. Or and for me too, like a huge thing was like dealing with. Yeah, worry and anxiety coming from. Coming from lack and bringing a poverty mentality into this abundant, like, kingdom, like gospel, where it's like, you have full access. And I'm like, I'm learning and actually breaking off, like turning, changing my thinking and being like, I don't know how to agree with this, but God, you need to transform me. But it's also like, hey, you might be listening to this and be like, oh, I like, I do worry. Like, I really worry. And I. And I start to, you know, and I think it's totally okay, like in this time to just feel like, God, I need to just sit before you again. Like, I need to just receive your grace. Like, what is it that you would have me seek out first? What is the main priority for today? I hand over all worry and I even ask, like, we use this tool, which is why I love Sozo. It says God straight away. When I notice I'm operating out of fear, worry, et cetera, I'm like, God, what's the lie that I'm believing? Because the opposite of truth is a lie, which is what he tried to bring in Eden to Jesus, what he does to us. What's a lie that I'm believing? Oh, okay. That I'm alone and that I have to sort all this out by myself, and I have to do it well or I won't be accepted. Thank you, God. Like, what's the truth? And then I renounce the lie. I repent. I break partnership. I turn, I renounce the lie, and I find the truth. You might be here and you might be like, that's really great for you. I'm a new Christian. Like. Or you might be, like, a longtime believer, and you haven't had to really wrestle out the Word yourself. It's like, what is the truth? Find it, seek it out. Like, hungry. Yeah. And then renounce the lie. And I do it all the time. When I catch myself, I'm like, oh, I renounce the lie. I declare the truth. I plead the blood of Jesus. Thank you. And it's like, my feelings, my soul, I'm speaking in the Spirit. My soul will come into alignment if I continue to declare. You may not feel different, but it is proven that it will renew your mind. And then your behavior will follow, your soul will come. Your mind, will and emotions will come into agreement if you declare the Word. You know, so that just. I just felt to really quickly. [00:26:06] Speaker A: That's really awesome. No, thank you for adding that. I think I was actually going to ask you to share that. So it's really cool. Even in that very verse itself, it says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things will be added to you. Like, it's what you just said. It's like these things will be added. Added, like that renewal will take place. That freedom will take place when we choose to seek him first. [00:26:33] Speaker B: Yes. [00:26:34] Speaker A: And to live by his kingdom. It says, seek first the kingdom of God. And that's why we need to understand the scriptures to know what is the kingdom of God actually look like? Does it look like, you know, a model of church that we've seen? Or. Or does it actually. The scriptures say, you know, I mean, not obviously, we love the church, but we're not perfect. And there's a million different presentations of that. But what does the scripture actually say about what the kingdom of God looks like? And a lot of people actually miss that because they. Their idea of what. Who God is or what the kingdom of God looks like has been misrepresented by someone who maybe didn't understand scripture or maybe abused something that, you know, a position that they had or something that they read and they've. They've twisted scripture to mean something that it didn't. And then a lot of people have a misunderstanding of what the kingdom of God looks like. So it's really important that we get a true revelation that we become biblically literate and then we understand the Word and that we can actually live in the kingdom and seek the kingdom we're seeking. That means, like, going after it. We're making it the first priority in our life. We're choosing to live by its values. We're judging things according to. How does that compare to God's standard? Not compared to someone else. And who am I better than or worse than? But how does that compare to the standard of God? [00:27:53] Speaker B: Great. [00:27:53] Speaker A: And how am I prioritizing? [00:27:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:56] Speaker A: Seeking all that that means, and that life is actually so much better than when we do. I think we fear. I have this quote that I. That I think about often, and I'm pretty sure it's in the pursuit of God by Tozer. But he basically says, like, sometimes we think that if we give God our all, we're going to miss out on something else. And I'm paraphrasing, but it's something along those lines. And the truth actually is that we can afford to give God everything. [00:28:23] Speaker B: Come on. [00:28:24] Speaker A: His life with him is so much greater when it's. When we're all the way in. [00:28:28] Speaker B: Amen. Come on. I also want to encourage you guys really quick with this before we flow on. We are all in ministry, which I know at numa, we have a really great revelation of it. Like, hey, in Romans, it's like, you have the ministry of reconciliation. You are in ministry, whether you like it or not. You are a carrier of the kingdom. Lay hands on the sick. [00:28:47] Speaker A: Yes. [00:28:47] Speaker B: That's. You don't have to heal. That's not your responsibility. But lay hands on the sick. Present the gospel, bring Jesus in, give your kindness, your acts of service, all that. Give it a name so you don't get the glory. Jesus gets the glory. And it's. You might take them, who knows? It's up to Jesus to water the seed. But it's like, yeah, you're in ministry. Yeah, come on now. [00:29:07] Speaker A: Yes, you are, man. Oh, there's so much we could dig into this so good I love it. What are some other things that you want to draw out of this passage? [00:29:19] Speaker B: Oh, I mean, we could even have a look through a little bit more closely or just, I think, like, I love how he addresses, like, salt your assault and light, like in Matthew 5. But then it talks about the heart and how, like, murder begins in the heart. [00:29:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:35] Speaker B: Adultery begins in the heart. Like, he's really, like, he's going. Going in. Yeah. I mean, I don't know that I have something really specific to say, but I really think it's, like, a really, really clear emphasis of the kingdom is beginning within. Like, how it talks about the log in your own eye before dealing with a speck elsewhere. I think that's a really key theme across this. It's the inward job first. [00:29:56] Speaker A: Yeah. I think it's. It's cool to read as a whole as well, because we could just look at one thing and go, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. You read that, you're like, I'm pretty sure my eyes have caused me to sin at least once in my life, so I would be blind by now. So we can look at that and go, whoa. Okay. But really, really important in biblical literacy, we're reading the context, the entire passage. [00:30:28] Speaker B: So good. [00:30:29] Speaker A: And what is Jesus actually trying to say? So if you have the whole, like, the chapter open of chapter five, I went through and I counted. Jesus actually said it six times that you've heard it said. And. But I say to you. So he's correcting. And I think that we can all sort of draw some conclusions about what even the number six is meaning in that. But he is saying, there's been a way that you've done this once before. And I want to. I want to make you understand the How. How important it is that your heart is in the right place and that you're not doing something based on tradition, but you're doing it because you have a revelation of it. [00:31:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Great. [00:31:03] Speaker A: And that language is so extreme. Like, think. When you're just. You're trying to convince someone to something like, you almost. Not that Jesus is lying or exaggerating, but he wanted to get their attention. [00:31:15] Speaker B: Yes. [00:31:15] Speaker A: Like, yeah, guys, it's. It don't take lightly that, you know, you can stand on your high horse because you're like, oh, well, I've never killed anybody, or I've never done this, that, and the other. But it's. And so I'm better than that person. But have you ever hated someone? [00:31:29] Speaker B: Wow. Yeah. [00:31:30] Speaker A: Like, I think most of us would be lying if we said no to that. Jesus is confronting that head on and being like, it's not about judging someone's out outward sin. It's actually about, you need to assess yourself and go, where is my heart in this? [00:31:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Wow. [00:31:47] Speaker A: What thoughts and motives do I have? And so he takes all of these things and he flips them on the head. [00:31:54] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:55] Speaker A: Here's how I really want you to live. I want you to not just love your neighbor. I want to love your enemies. [00:31:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:00] Speaker A: I want to go above and beyond. And even like going the second mile, like that is even offensive for the person that receives it. So I don't have enough, enough memory to actually talk about the whole context of that. But I've, I've heard people teach on that. Like, it would be offensive for the soldier for you to actually carry it the second mile because it's like, oh, doing something. Except for me. So it's like almost. It's offensive to us because it's like that going that low place of going above and beyond of serving someone. But I mean, I guess we all kind of feel that when someone comes over to your house and then they start doing your dishes or something, it's like, it's a little bit too much, a little bit offensive. But I, that, I mean, that's what Jesus did. [00:32:42] Speaker B: Like, yeah. And he raises the bar. I love how people like, I think I've heard you say this. What was that saying that you say? And you're like, jesus doesn't even require this. He wants your whole life. [00:32:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:51] Speaker B: What is that saying that you said? I love it. [00:32:53] Speaker A: I mean, maybe in the context of the tithe or. [00:32:56] Speaker B: I think it. Maybe it was maybe. Well, I love Jess often. She's like, it's like a catchphrase because, I mean, it catches you off because it's like, oh, Jesus doesn't just require this. He wants all of you. And I love. Because he comes in and it's like he's talking about the law. And it's good, but it's, it's a counterfeit now because there's something greater here. It's old covenant. There's actually a new way. There's a new covenant. And the standard is like raised like it would have been offensive outside of the spirit of God. It seems unattainable. [00:33:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:21] Speaker B: Because it's like, you know, he's like, oh, actually, if you even look at them, you've done this. It's like, whoa. Like the standard just was like, Whoa. Lifted. [00:33:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:29] Speaker B: Like, really raised. But he makes it possible for us to live this way. But it's. You're right. It's like rebuking that. Like, you're doing all these things outwardly and being polished and you feel like all these ways about yourself. But God actually looks at the heart, measures on the heart, rewards based off of the inward motive. [00:33:45] Speaker A: Yeah. I almost think looking at that and going, I feel like the Pharisees and those religious people almost had less of an excuse to be offended at Jesus because he didn't say that the law, that everything they built their life on, that, that was bad. He literally says, I didn't come to destroy the law of the prophets. So chapter 5, verse 17, but to fulfill. So he's like, actually, I'm fulfilling everything you believe. So if you really believed what you believed, then you would know that I'm the fulfillment. Fulfillment of it. And you'd actually say yes to the more that he's bringing into that, rather than just trying to stay in your old ways of doing it. [00:34:19] Speaker B: Yeah. And I love. It actually says, I felt to look up. Like in Romans 13, verse 8, it talks about, like, the fulfillment of the law. And it talks about, owe no one anything except to love one another. For he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there is any other commandment, they are all summed up in this saying, namely, you should love your neighbor as yourself. [00:34:46] Speaker A: Yes. [00:34:47] Speaker B: I was like, whoa, that's so true. It's just like, wow, all of it is getting straight to the. And it's his sovereign protection to be like, hey. Before you fall completely and not only, like, destroy your life, your family's life, your children. Let's deal with this right now in seed form. [00:35:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:04] Speaker B: As soon as it comes forward. And that's like, this is why we need community. Because sometimes we have blind spots to be like, hey. I don't know if like. And just coming in like, hey, from, like, a humble perspective, I'm not trying to out you, but, like, living in a life of submission to others, but also accountability to be like, if you're starting to see, like, bad fruit doesn't grow on a good tree, like, there's a deeper root and God and like, Jesus just goes straight there. Yeah, exactly. I was like, hey, It's. It's just, like, wild. But I love that he's like, hey. All of these things are Dealing with the one thing you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I'm like, what all comes back to love? [00:35:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:39] Speaker B: All of that begins with that twist within in our heart where it's like bitterness or something that is the opposite. It's actually in. In offense or in objection or against. Love. [00:35:49] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:49] Speaker B: Wow. [00:35:51] Speaker A: Yeah. And I love the point you made about, I guess, accountability and submission. It's kind of sound like dirty words. [00:35:58] Speaker B: Sometimes we can get. [00:36:03] Speaker A: But there is. There's going to be blind spots that we're not going to see. And. And only God can see our hearts. But if we have a. If we're living in a performance mentality or a performance lifestyle where everything is perfect on the outside, people aren't even gonna see the real us to actually help our hearts get into the right place. [00:36:23] Speaker B: Totally. [00:36:23] Speaker A: They'll never see our heart. But it's like if we live a bit more authentically, then people can speak into that. I'm so grateful for the friends that I have that will call stuff out when they see it and they tell me that I think that was. You weren't speaking from the Lord when you said that. Or. People just tell me the truth. Like, hurts a little bit at the time. There's a bit of pain, but it's like there's nothing. There's nothing better than actually coming into truth. [00:36:50] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:50] Speaker A: Takes a bit of that push through of the pain. [00:36:53] Speaker B: Totally. [00:36:53] Speaker A: Then you end up at a better place. And that's why Jesus says, take your eyes out. Like, don't. Actually. Don't stay in your comfort zone of, oh, I can keep this little bit of sin. Or like, I can. It's. It's easier this way. But it's actually like, resist the devil. Do everything you can to cut off that stuff so that you can live this full kingdom life. [00:37:17] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think too, don't. Don't make other people work harder for your freedom than you're prepared to. [00:37:22] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:37:23] Speaker B: Actively pursue living in the light. [00:37:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:37:26] Speaker B: That looks like. Not waiting until your friends check you that. I love how they talk about the different layers of like, there's honesty. Like when someone questions you being like, yeah, I did do that. There's transparency. It's like, hey, like, I'm just like. And then there's vulnerability of being like, I'm actually wrestling with this. Can I? Can you. Are you safe enough to hold space with me? I'm. I'm in the process of sanctification. I'm wrestling this out. I know that this is the truth. I'm a Saint, I'm not a sinner, but I'm. I'm wrestling with this, and I just want to bring it into the light. It's like your burden is halved. Like, that's even biblical, you know, and we've had to fight for that in marriage. We've had to fight for that in friendship. But I'm so thankful. I had a few key people who lived in this, like, almost offensive, like, vulnerability with us, and it just invited us higher. But I'm like, I often find for people, they're like, wanting their mentor to ask, wanting, waiting for the right conversation to be honest. And I'm like, don't make other people work harder than you're prepared to for your freedom. Like, you need to actually, like, work out your faith with fear and trembling. Like, you need to actively be seeking. Like, how it talks about eden throughout Matthew 6, seek and knock. There's a certain level of, like, hunger and persistence in. In the kingdom. Like, faith even is like, It's a pursuit. You don't just stumble upon it. Like, you know, so anyways, I just. [00:38:37] Speaker A: Felt, yeah, no, that's so good. It's like even jumping over the. The Lord's Prayer that we've touched on there. We. We kind of see a parallel, you know, talking about, you know, the eyes causing us to sin. And then in chapter six, Jesus is talking about how the eye is the place actually where light can enter in. He says that if the eye is good, the whole body will be full of light. And if eyes about your whole body, we're full of darkness instead of then going, okay, this is what I want you to leave behind. But also now, this is actually the second half of this teaching is how you can, wow, live in this freedom. So, yeah, exactly. As you said, it's about serving God. It's about asking, seeking, knocking. It's about that pursuit of the kingdom. [00:39:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:24] Speaker A: That he invites us into. So let's look at chapter chapter seven a little bit. [00:39:28] Speaker B: Beautiful. I hope you guys are really hungry to read this. I know. [00:39:34] Speaker A: I'm like, yeah, because there's so much more than. Though we're like, I mean, we're like, running out of time, so we need to end soon. But there's so much more that we talk about. And I hope that, like, whether you've already gone through it in your life group or whether you're going to sit down and go through this. So this is just like scratching the surface. That's all we can do today. Scratching the surface. And I hope that it's Staring hungry. It's staring hungry. Me just talking about it, so. [00:39:54] Speaker B: Me too. Yeah. Chapter seven. So obviously, it's kind of like they talk about the Sermon on the Mount being like, all of Jesus. Pretty much most of Jesus key teachings broken down into three different parts. And the last part is about, like, a call to action. Also warnings about building our life our own way, building on something that is not the rock or the firm foundation, and talking about the narrow way. Like, there's so much in this, guys. But, oh, man, it's. It's also a lot about obedience. [00:40:22] Speaker A: Yes. [00:40:22] Speaker B: I think a lot about obedience and about being like, what is our measurement of like. It's like, no. Was I obedient unto the Lord? Okay. Yep. I've pleased him that that's my measurement. Not. [00:40:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:33] Speaker B: Was it seen? Was it rewarded? Was it this? Was it that? Like, was I in obedience? [00:40:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:38] Speaker B: And that's a key thing that I see across here. What. What do you notice, Jess? [00:40:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's cool. Reveals, like, the nature of God even in our pursuit. It's like, yeah, I want you to ask, I want you to seek, I want you to pursue. But the Father's delight is to give us good gifts, you know? [00:40:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:59] Speaker A: How much more the Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. [00:41:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:04] Speaker A: It. It's. Yet the call is high. But it's like, it's. The partnership that we get from the Lord is so much greater than just our. Than just what he's asking us to give up. There's a lot of giving up in the first half, and then there's a lot of, like, promise that we can stand on. [00:41:25] Speaker B: Yes. [00:41:25] Speaker A: Even. Even that little parable about the. The wide way and, like, broad. The broad road and the narrow road and narrows again. Difficult is the way which leads to life. It might be hard today. It might be. There might be some hills on that journey. There might be some challenges to overcome, but at the end of the day, it leads to life. And it's. I love how Jesus is getting out our mindset onto the eternal. [00:41:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:58] Speaker A: And going, yes. Yeah. This is. I'm not calling you to an easy life. I'm calling you to lay a lot of things down and to follow after me. But know that you're. You're walking towards life. [00:42:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:42:10] Speaker A: And then he says, a little bit lower. He says, not everyone went into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father. It's enough for you to know that for me to teach it to you. But now it's time for you to actually do it. [00:42:25] Speaker B: Wow. [00:42:26] Speaker A: To actually live in the will of my father. And then he finishes with that parable of the building on a rock. And this is like it. It has become for some of us, just like a child, like a Sunday school lesson of like, oh, this guy built his house on the rock and some building his house on the sand. But the end of the day, what's going to last? Something might look good, but it might not last. It's not. It's not about living according to the trends. [00:42:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:42:57] Speaker A: Of society and the fleeting pleasures of sin, but actually to build our lives upon this foundation. Jesus is, like, literally saying these words that I've taught you. Now you have to build your life upon them. [00:43:11] Speaker B: Yep. [00:43:12] Speaker A: So that when the challenges of life inevitably come. [00:43:17] Speaker B: Yep. [00:43:18] Speaker A: You can stand firm. [00:43:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:20] Speaker A: Because this is an eternal thing. This is. This is a heavenly thing. This is not. It's. It's kingdom of heaven here on earth. [00:43:27] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:28] Speaker A: But it's first in heaven. [00:43:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:29] Speaker A: And so we're actually building our lives on heaven and upon eternity. When we build our lives according to the sayings of Jesus from the right heart place, not from baby modification, but from a heart that is turned and repented and partnered with the kingdom we build our lives upon that we're on a short foundation. Yeah. [00:43:51] Speaker B: Come on. [00:43:52] Speaker A: So good. Well, I think we're running out of time now, but as we. As we wrap up the episode, Alyssa, I would love for you to. There's a couple of practical things you want to quickly share to, like, close us out, and then I would love for you to pray over everyone. Listen. Thing. [00:44:09] Speaker B: Yeah. Maybe we'll just. Maybe we'll just pray. [00:44:12] Speaker A: I just invite you to sit with. [00:44:13] Speaker B: The Holy Spirit through these scriptures. I just. Yeah. We bless your time that it would be. Yeah. Sitting with the author and he'd be breaking bread with you, but. Yeah. Why don't we just pray? Wherever you are, you're welcome to. If you're at work, you can just take a deep breath and just become aware of his presence within you, his kingdom around you, and just breathe him in, Lord. We just shift our awareness. We thank you that you are the king, and in your kingdom, there's liberty, there's fullness of life. I just thank you, Father, for every. I bless every son and daughter who's listening to this God. I thank you that they are carriers of the kingdom that. That you desire to empower your sons and daughters to be the very ones that carry the kingdom that take your dominion that bring heaven's order and divine alignment to things that are out of order, where darkness and destruction, like that was. Like that was prophesied even in Isaiah 60. It says, Arise and shine, for the light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. I just thank you, God, that there would be such an arising forth, such a seeking, such a tenacious turning away from, even chasing after other things, building or laboring in vain, God, not even in accordance to your will. I just thank you, God, that you're going to make so clear. You order their steps. And so I just thank you, God, as they sit with you in the word, in the scriptures, that you meet with them, you transform them, you teach them the ways of this mysterious kingdom, this upside down kingdom. And I just thank you, God. Would you just place in our spirits just like, wow, would you just like, remove the metrics of this world that we've placed the measuring stick of success? Maybe we've inherited any lies that we've believed. Holy Spirit, would you just remove. Would you bring light? Would you bring truth? Would you uproot that? And would you replace it? Would you mature us into childhood? Thank you that you even talk about children inheriting the kingdom of God and that that childlikeness being the doorway into the kingdom. And so we just lay aside assumption, presumption, the accumulation of knowledge without a demonstration or without an active releasing of the river. I just thank you, God, that each person who's listening to this, they are a carrier of the kingdom. And I just declare every place that the soul of their foot treads will be given to them unto your kingdom, that your dominion and your reign would be established in their workplace, in their family. And I thank you, God. It begins in their hearts. It begins in their heart. You start with intimacy in the inside job first. You begin with us. So let you. Yeah, we just let you have your full work. We just lean in and we turn, we repent, we turn from a previous way of thinking, and we receive your kingdom. It is accessible. It is here and now. So thank you, Lord. Would your kingdom come? Would your will be done on earth, in our lives, in our hearts, as it is in heaven? I bless this day. If to each one who's hearing, I bless them, I bless them. I bless them when they sense your love over them, your intimacy. Thank you, Jesus. We love you. We love you. Amen. Amen. [00:47:33] Speaker A: Amen. Wow, that was powerful. Thank you, Lord. Thank you so much, Alyssa, for sharing your heart and for being on this episode with us. It's been such a gift. And I know all of you guys listening have been super blessed by this. We would love to hear your thoughts and even some of the things that you're getting out of these passages of scripture as you're reading through them. [00:47:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:47:53] Speaker A: So keep on listening and we will see you guys in the next episode. [00:47:57] Speaker B: Sounds good. Bye, love.